A man (right) makes popcorn using an old popcorn machine in a shikumen alley in 2004. [PHOTO BY ZHENG XIANZHANG FOR CHINA DAILY]

She recalls that Zheng, during the summer of 2013, would park himself along the Bund at four in the morning every day for a month just to catch the perfect shot of the sun rising over Pudong New Area.

But Zheng isn't bothered by this seemingly exhausting process.

"Photography allows me to get closer to people's lives, make new friends and listen to new stories. I love it," he says.

"For me, photography is more than a hobby. This is a career, and one where I have a responsibility to record the progress of a city and its people."

Contact the writer at caochen@chinadaily.com.cn